This invention generally relates to an improvement in hair curler devices, and more particularly, to a hair curler device which is easier to manufacture and for the consumer to use.
A related hair curling device was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,814 issued on Apr. 15, 1983 to the same inventor. That device included a longitudinally extending curler body having an irregular cross section and a straight hair-holding pin. In use, a strand of hair is wound around the curler body in a helical manner such that the diameter of successive turns varies. By this arrangement, curls having various curvatures can be formed along the length of a single strand of hair.
In the prior art, a variety of hair rollers have been used for imparting curls to straight strands of hair. More particularly, both professional hair stylists and individuals have used hair rollers to alter the shape and configuration of straight hair to approximate the appearance of natural curls. Most prior art hair rollers have an elongated cylindrical configuration and may be solid or hollow. In use, the hair is separated into groups of strands, with each group of strands being tightly wrapped around the exterior cylindrical surface of the roller. The wrapped strand is then secured in a fixed position relative to the roller by any suitable means such as a bobby pin. When the strand is unwrapped from the roller after a suitable period of time, curls will be formed along the length thereof.
The size and curvature of the curls which are formed correspond directly to the cross sectional diameter of the roller used. More particularly, if larger curls are desired, rollers having a larger diameter are utilized. Similarly, if relatively smaller curls are desired, rollers having a smaller diameter are utilized.
When creating a hair style with rollers, the user generally attempts to approximate the appearance of naturally curly hair. As can be appreciated, naturally curly hair, rather then having curls of uniform size and curvature, has a wide variety of different sized curls. Accordingly, in order to approximate the natural appearance, the user will employ many different sized rollers when styling the hair. More particularly, by wrapping various strands of hair around rollers having different diameters, the resulting hair style can be provided with curls having various curvatures. Unfortunately, the aesthetic appearance achieved by this technique is not entirely satisfactory, since all the curls formed in each wrapped strand have an identical curvature. Different curvatures can only be formed in different strands using different rollers. In contrast, in a naturally curly hair style, the shape and size of the curls is random. Another shortcoming of the prior art technique is the necessity of providing a variety of different diameter rollers. Not only does this required variety increase the cost of a set of curlers, but in addition, the user must carefully select the proper roller for each strand of hair in an attempt to achieve a natural appearance.
While the improvement of U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,814 provided a solution to producing curls having various curvatures in a single strand of hair, it is deemed desirable to modify the hair-holding pin to be easier to manufacture and make it easier for the user to apply to hold hair around the roller.
In accordance with the present invention, a hair curler device comprises a hair roller having a longitudinally extending body having a non-uniform cross section around which a strand of hair may be wrapped, and a hair-holding element having a pair of flat extended leg portions lying in a common plane which are joined together at ends on one longitudinal side thereof and are spaced apart from each other by a gap extending to an opening on an opposite longitudinal side thereof, wherein said leg portions have respective non-linear surfaces facing opposite each other across the gap which have complementary shapes so as to define a first distance apart between the surfaces of the leg portions at the opening, a second distance apart at an intermediate position of the leg portions which is narrower than the first distance, and a third distance apart at the longitudinal side where the leg portions are joined which is about equal to the first distance.